Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 1/9/2026-1/16/2026
Demanding Accountability for Lawless Federal Immigration Agents
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), spoke on the Senate Floor to demand accountability for the lawless actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal immigration agents.
“The American people can be forgiven for wanting to turn off their computers or TVs and feeling a sense of abhorrence and repulsion at what they are seeing again and again and again, as the video of Renee Good's killing is replayed for them. What it shows is a horrific tragedy,” said Blumenthal. “Americans have a right to be repulsed by these videos and outraged, angry but also saddened and grief stricken because the killing of Renee Nicole Good last week at the hands of an ICE agent showed the tragic outcome of abuse of power.”
Blumenthal is leading an ongoing investigation into the treatment of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents. In October, Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, opened an inquiry into frequent reports of unconstitutional detentions of U.S. citizens by agents of ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), often using disproportionate force.
In December, Blumenthal released a report highlighting firsthand accounts of twenty-two Americans who were physically assaulted, pepper sprayed, denied medical treatment, and detained – sometimes for days – by federal immigration agents. The report, Unchecked Authority: Examining the Trump Administration’s Extrajudicial Immigration Detentions Of U.S. Citizens, was released ahead of a bicameral public forum hosted by Blumenthal and Garcia to receive testimony from five Americans who were unconstitutionally detained by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I released this report that has documented accounts of 22 United States citizens in ten different states who were physically assaulted, pepper sprayed, denied medical treatment, detained sometimes for days by federal immigration agents,” said Blumenthal on the Senate Floor. “This pattern and practice is not coincidental. It is the result of a policy, an apparent policy, on the part of this government agency that involves agents who are masked, unidentifiable, turned violent without provocation, and crashing their government vehicles into citizens' cars, dragging them from those cars, slamming them to the ground, violently assaulting them, often leading to lasting injuries, including trauma.”
A video of Blumenthal’s remarks on the Floor can be found here.
Blumenthal further called out the lawlessness of ICE agents on Twitter/X.
“The horrific brutality unfolding in Minneapolis & across the country by ICE must be stopped. I will use every tool, including my ongoing investigation through the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, to expose & halt this disgrace & danger to our democracy,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.
Last week, following the killing of Renee Nicole Good, an unarmed U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Blumenthal wrote to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem seeking information and records regarding ICE training policies. The full text of Blumenthal’s letter to Noem is available here.
On the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee
Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today led a group of his colleagues in demanding answers on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to politicize Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper that has long maintained editorial independence. The letter follows recent reporting on how Stars and Stripes job applicants have been asked to explain how they would advance the Administration’s policy priorities, and comments from the Pentagon’s top public affairs official on the Department’s plans to overhaul the newspaper.
“We write to express our strong and unwavering support for the continued editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, a publication whose credibility rests on its ability to report freely and impartially on matters affecting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces,” wrote the Senators to Secretary Pete Hegseth. “…Any diminishing independence of Stars and Stripes is a blow to the public’s legitimate need for information and disrespectful to our military. The paper’s independence is essential to ensuring the American people understand what is happening in our armed forces, and to provide servicemembers with honest, credible reporting rather than filtered or politicized narratives.”
The Senators continued, “Congress has been clear for decades that Stars and Stripes must be governed by First Amendment principles and insulated from political influence, regardless of which administration is in power. We urge you to immediately clarify that neither hiring practices nor editorial decisions at Stars and Stripes will be conditioned on ideological alignment or policy advocacy, and to reaffirm, publicly and unequivocally, the newspaper’s statutory independence.”
The full text of the Senators’ letter is available here.
Calling for Protections for Members of the Coast Guard
Blumenthal released the below statement following the release of two reports by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) efforts to implement reforms aimed at addressing sexual misconduct:
“I am deeply disappointed that USCG has dropped the ball on basic reporting requirements that would provide transparency about sexual misconduct in the Coast Guard. GAO’s findings reveal that the Coast Guard’s culture of coverup—exposed by my PSI investigation—continues to this day. While the Coast Guard has taken some steps to support survivors, it is clear more work needs to be done to adequately protect cadets and Coasties.”
In September 2023, as then-Chair of PSI, Blumenthal initiated an inquiry into the Coast Guard’s failure to disclose Operation Fouled Anchor, an internal Coast Guard investigation into the decades-long systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy.
In December 2024, Blumenthal released a bipartisan interim staff report on the Coast Guard’s efforts to conceal Operation Fouled Anchor. The report, Coast Guard Efforts to Conceal the Operation Fouled Anchor Investigation from Congress and the Public, includes several newly released documents, among which is an email explaining that then-Commandant Admiral Schultz chose not to affirmatively disclose Operation Fouled Anchor to either Congress or the public based on the continuing nature of the investigation.
Strengthening Health & Safety Standards for Military Housing
Blumenthal and U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) along with U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and James Moylan (R-GU) introduced the Military Occupancy Living Defense (MOLD) Act to strengthen protections for military families living in privatized housing. U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) joined Blumenthal and Sheehy in introducing the MOLD Act as original cosponsors.
An estimated 700,000 servicemembers and their families are affected by hazardous conditions in military-provided housing, including prolonged mold exposure, which is associated with elevated risks of respiratory illnesses, neurological symptoms, developmental delays in children, and other severe health effects. The MOLD Act addresses these conditions by setting enforceable health and safety standards, mandating independent inspections, and requiring transparency in reporting habitability issues such as water damage, humidity, and mold.
“This measure will help ensure that military families are protected from housing that endangers their health. They deserve the gold standard, nothing less,” said Blumenthal. “The MOLD Act will require strict health and safety standards, independent inspections, and financial accountability for contractors. This bipartisan, bicameral reform deserves quick passage so servicemembers and their families have a safe place to call home.”
Full bill text is available here. A one-pager is available here.
Blumenthal hosted a press conference with military families, advocates, and lawmakers to announce the introduction of the new legislation that strengthens protections for military families in privatized housing.
“The importance of safe and decent housing for military and families—most especially our children—is the reason we are here today. And literally, hundreds of thousands of military families are going without safe and decent housing. It is a shameful disgrace that our military permits private hosing to have mold, water damage, insects, all of the conditions that would never be tolerated in private housing if it were you or me not in the military—but because the military is in effect in charge, these private landlords are violating the basic moral rights, and usually legal rights of these families,” said Blumenthal at the press conference.
A video of the press conference can be found here.
Blumenthal further highlighted the need for his legislation bolstering protections for military families in privatized housing on Twitter/X.
“It is a shameful disgrace that 700,000 military families must live in homes with mold, asbestos, water damage, & more. Congress should swiftly pass the bipartisan MOLD Act I’m leading to ensure military housing is safe & free of health hazards,” wrote Blumenthal with an accompanying video on Twitter/X.
Blumenthal Bulletin
Blumenthal authored an op-ed in FOX News raising concerns about the potential negative impact of crypto market legislation on the U.S. financial system.
Blumenthal released a statement after a U.S. District Court judge issued a second preliminary injunction allowing work to continue on the Revolution Wind Project.
Blumenthal introduced bipartisan legislation to enhance disaster preparedness and response for seniors and people with disabilities.
Blumenthal introduced legislation to bolster fishermen in response to climate change.
Blumenthal slammed Trump’s Gold Card immigration program prioritizing the wealthy.
Blumenthal honored All-State High School Football players and coaches.
Blumenthal joined VFW in honoring students and teachers at the 55th Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner.
Blumenthal joined the ICE Out of Stamford Rally.
Blumenthal slammed the Trump Administration’s reckless changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.
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